


Popular Monster

by orphan_account



Category: Code Geass
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Reincarnation, Anxiety, Blood and Gore, F/F, F/M, Genderfluid Character, M/M, Mental Instability, Monster Hunters, Racism, Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms, and they here to make everyone suffer, julius and lelouch are literally the same person, they split in two
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-14
Updated: 2020-10-14
Packaged: 2021-03-07 06:15:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,090
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26468548
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: and what do you do when a guy named julius kingsley asks you to 'play with us' while holding lelouch's hand like the creepy girls from The Shining?OR: lelouch and julius are here to cause Problems, suzaku is a dragon hunter, there's many god damn cults and selfcest is just another way to love yourself -- unless you're Suzaku Kururugi.
Relationships: C.C./Kouzuki Kallen, C.C./Kururugi Suzaku, C.C./Lelouch Lamperouge | Lelouch vi Britannia, Julius Kingsley/Kururugi Suzaku/Lelouch Lamperouge | Lelouch vi Britannia, Julius Kingsley/Lelouch Lamperouge | Lelouch vi Britannia, Kururugi Suzaku/Lelouch Lamperouge | Lelouch vi Britannia
Comments: 2
Kudos: 11





	1. double trouble.

**Author's Note:**

> there are a lot of fics we have rn and thats okay, because we like putting them out while we work on it. and unfortunately we are unable to contain thy chapter posting so we bring you an AU worked between ourselves and our own suzaku.
> 
> this is us being neck deep into dragon lore, dragon and human racism and some other stuff. yeehaw!

"hmmm, that's not quite right." 

"well, stop moving it around for christ's sake."

"no, you just need to stop distracting me when i'm working."

"but that's so, so boring. just stop for a bit."

"utterly ridiculous."

two pairs of hands swat at another as one of the moon dragon had been fumbling around with some tarot cards, grumbling previously about how the  _ 'planets weren't aligned' _ and  _ 'the constellations weren't coopera _ ting' in which all fairness wasn't too far off. of course being ever so easily frustrated causes his left eye to illuminate under the starless night sky that his 'companion' only snorted.

the star dragon simply pushes away the tarot cards which makes the moon simply  _ 'harrumph' _ in a rather irritated tone but he simply smiles as if he did nothing wrong. they didn't need this right now especially when their father was slain by those who called themselves  _ black knights _ and mommy dear just burned like a witch because she fucked a dragon. the star is rather impatient you see, clicking his tongue to  **emphasize** that impatience as he sits upon the surface of their cherry wood furnished table. 

"we don't always have to ask fate for what to do, lulu." and of course the moon just growls deeply because what a  _ funny choice of words _ to tell him. 

" _ we are fate _ , juli." a rather impatient answer as scaled hands grasp each of the scattered cards, shuffling them into their deck. it feels like absolute vile had been spoken from his lips. the moon hates how his father had damned him to be two halves and hates how the stars was just another side of him.

a roll of his glimmering violets and the stars leans forward to simply grasp his beloved moon by the chin, "so what? how long have we traveled?" possessively does he tug his other half closer and press hungry, greedy kisses against that smart mouth. there's amusement when the moon sputters absolute nonsense before he eventually gave up and returned the kiss.

these two were simply known as lelouch and julius, being the latest offspring of the previously known tyrant of a dragon who went as charles. the stupid dragon had  **too many offsprings to count** \-- everyone else being purebloods while he and julius were halflings. their small sister nunnally simply was born a human and ended up crippled due to her own genetics failing her, thus she remained in europe with trusted friends to help out with some issues. 

of course, that had been several decades ago and nunnally had passed due to her old age. lelouch did mourn while julius decided to break things, _ like rather literally _ . you see with so many things needing to be explained, here's a small order (  _ courtesy of julius himself _ ).

lelouch was born > nunnally was born > lelouch decided to cause trouble > trouble made him split into two > julius was then 'born' > nunnally passes due to old age > in reality charles had her killed due to human weakness > lelouch and julius both get charles killed > marianne is burned because she was a witch.

so during these complicated times, lelouch and julius opted to travel around the world just to find something to do with their lives. it didn't help when they were found out to be  **_dragons of fate_ ** and even as corny as it sounded they simply had no choice but to run. neither of them wanted to follow orders from the ancient dragons nor did they want to be molded into what humans envisioned. 

and as julius would say: " **_it's bullshit_ ** !" when they have to keep constantly moving from place to place even if the world was a bit kinder. blending in was  **partially** easy if it weren't for the fact their scales were visible and quite frankly? both lelouch and julius quite liked their scales because they were glimmering like gemstones under the light.

so, returning to these two who were huddled underneath a silken purple canopy in this temporary stop, lelouch still fiddled with his deck while julius was becoming somewhat annoyed. 

julius decides to not voice those annoyances as it would be pointless, so he opted to run his thumb under the small golden teardrops under lelouch's right eye. "you look tired. you should sleep." his voice is soft, unusually so gentle compared to his flamboyant and eccentric tone. julius watches as lelouch glances at him with a contemplative expression as if considering --

and they  **both know** what will happen if lelouch protests, and julius was absolutely no stranger in  _ using sex _ to tire him out.

lelouch finally remembers this with flushed cheeks, mumbling  _ you're so irritating _ under his breath that julius triumphantly smirks. and  **damn** does he know how to make lelouch scream  _ his _ name, and damn does he know how to make lelouch  **_beg_ ** . it doesn't truly help that both of them were just so annoyingly dominant against another but julius was much more physical, easily overpowering his unfortunate weaker half.

"i'm not  **that** weak." lelouch growls deeply as he tucks the deck into his carry bag, always finding offense to be picked at for his physical state. in the back of his upset mind does lelouch know that julius merely states the truth between them but it just. just doesn't stop lelouch from hurting. it was also humiliating since his siblings were skinny as well but they could fight no problem.

(  _ they were also purebloods so it didn't matter the size _ )

lelouch also figures it's due to his mother's own genetics for as he could remember she was not muscular. 

julius hums as he wraps slender arms around him, placing some nips and kisses all over his cheek. "julius, i'm going to bed, really." lelouch sighs and he feels julius hum against his back, as their legs tangled together. as always despite lelouch's protests -- julius will do what he wants because that's just the unspoken law. a small huff sounds when lelouch feels julius bite into his right shoulder but he simply reaches back and pats the stars on his hair.

it doesn't take long for them to fall in slumber with their bodies meshed together. even in dreamless slumber, it didn't feel like a long rest when they awoke to get up and prepare to leave.

and of course, there were some complications from julius' side and it took lelouch all of his energy to get him situated.

(  _ you see, julius was more of a vain dragon than lelouch was, often displeased when his makeup seemed even an inch off. _ )

"i'm bloody hungry, lelouch. i don't want to eat just fruit." the stars complained as they leave the abandoned house. julius glances back at the house before letting out an irritated sigh and just rushes forward to grab at one of lelouch's hands. his companion squeezes it as they traversed through the bamboo forest of arashiyama, both of them chose this location since it was long abandoned. 

lelouch hums as they finally met the pathways that once were made for villagers and tourists until his father decided to have japan ruled by dragons. "we'll get some meat." this  _ of course _ makes julius' eyes light up at something more filling that he leans against lelouch, laughing as his other half almost stumbled and fell.

"ooh, you're the best. let's take the keifuku electric railroad." julius watches as lelouch regains his balance, nearly smirking when the moon nearly hit him with his bag. and of course as usual the two share a rather chaste kiss, both hurrying towards the train station that was still operating all this time.

humans stared when they board the train, whispering to another. dragons never really co-existed with humans due to racism on both sides and the fact charles' made sure humans were nothing but sacks of meat. so when marianne came into the picture? riots broke out and the idea of a human fornicating with  _ 'those beasts' _ had been extremely blasphemous. this truly never bothered lelouch nor julius but unfortunately the latter? oh how he loves to make a big scene about anyone who couldn't keep their eyes to themselves.

as usual, it always starts when they hold each others hands with one having a smirk and the other a sneer. they stand perfectly together shoulder to shoulder that of course many will think they were twin siblings. but that's not true! it's an insult to think that and  **of course** ,  _ of course _ julius is the hellraiser to make it worse. 

"do you all want to play with us?" julius is what you call a  _ temptress _ between he and lelouch, and he does what he does best: use his mouth and silver tongue. 

there's an electric current through the train cars, mostly because the humans were frankly ever so tense when julius spoke. their eyes were on him from all angles and with all their mouths shut, the air of unease blanketed heavily on them all. they only watch as julius smiles even wider - _ and it's evil, so incredibly evil that it chills their souls _ \- that they can see the sharp teeth meant to tear through flesh and meat. 

"if you don't play with  _ me _ at least, i'll kill you all." julius then laughs as they all huddle against each other in obvious fear. a half dragon  _ threatening _ to kill humans on a moving train? now you don't see that everyday or if technically? never.

but you see when julius threatens to kill you if you don't join him in his twisted definition of  **play time** ? lelouch by then cannot save you by that time and he'll just. like the biggest douchebag known to existence, releases what remains of control on his more impulsive half. 

and when lelouch flexes his fingers is when julius takes a step forward with a rumble resonating in his chest. the last thing the nosy humans would see would be julius' predatory grin, followed by a blur with some blood spraying everywhere in result.

" _ what a mess _ ." lelouch wipes at the blood that landed on his right cheek. in the back of his mind he's sure this would attract attention. how can it not when julius loves to play with his  _ food _ with methods that were to inflict pain? not even a flinch when bodies dropped to the floor of the train car and lelouch merely steps back so his shoes won't get stained.

and julius laughs like he's a child on christmas day and he might as well be, skipping over to lelouch and pressing a kiss into his mouth.

blood and all, heavy off of his high that was so unrestrained and not kept in check.

no wonder charles and marianne were murdered as they both created an offspring deadly to the world.


	2. sleep tight.

kyoto wasn't what it used to be when charles took over japan, and it certainly wasn't getting back to it's former glory since he was slain. the black knights were trying to rebuild it much like they did with osaka and tokyo, but resources and help were always so scarce.

"what a bummer. is this as far as humans can go?" julius raised a brow as he held lelouch's hand, looking at the sad state before them. julius had  _ some _ idea of what their father did but it never compared to actually seeing it than hearing about it. there had been a point he wanted his father's approval in  **anything** he did or would have done. but? that fell down the drain when lelouch found out they were just means to an end. 

lelouch shrugs as he did give some credit to the humans for going as far as they did, but their technology had been truly limited. it didn't help that his remaining siblings refused to help these humans they chose to oppress. well, maybe euphemia would help but she was kept in her own gilded cage by her sister cornelia. "this is what father did, of course. nunnally tried her best to fix it before he…"  _ killed her _ , were the unspoken words between them.

"well, i want meat. i expect tons of it, lelouch." julius says impatiently as he tugged at his hand, wanting him to lead. he certainly had exerted so much energy against the humans that dared stared and speak in hushed tones. if they just kept to themselves and minded their own business, their massacre wouldn't be making the news eventually. truth be told, julius was eager to see what they'd say.

lelouch only tugs him along the streets and he notes there were the ruins of the imperial palace, seeing that some construction machines were long left abandoned. "how sad… whose the stupid sibling who ran the area of kyoto and then abandoned it?" he makes them pause by the entrance where most of the damage was located. it's not as if he cares who ran it but the sheer laziness and --

"what do you  _ beasts _ think you're doing here?!" both julius and lelouch give another annoyed looks, turning to see a red haired woman glowering at them. she wore a black body suit that seemed to be  _ way too _ generous on her breasts but overall she just looked pissed.

"i'm not sure what she's talking about, do you?"

"absolutely not. or why she's calling us beasts. that's discrimination."

the woman scowled, hands clenching into fists, "i don't have time for your creepy twin talk you damn fuckers, tell me now before --"

"the sheer ignorance! we aren't twins at all."

"when's your birthday, lelouch?"

"december 5th. and you, julius?"

"july 10th! obviously not twins, the impudence! the nerve! i am quite miffed my dear lulu."

"worry not, for i am as well, julius."

the two halflings glared at the woman who dared to barge in on their peace. to simply insinuate they were here for chaos and not for pleasure! their rambling seemed to have confused the woman, who stared at them with a bewildered expression. and that's all what julius needed, taking a step forward and releasing lelouch's hand. 

"hold up, you son of a --!" the woman had quick reflexes, so quick that she caught the large tail that nearly slammed against her gut. she had to count her lucky stars that she and her body were trained for this, gloved hands holding strong on the large purple and cyan scaled tail. julius gives her a disapproving sneer, his violet eyes glimmering dangerously as the stars of his right pupil swam leisurely. 

lelouch sighs as he sat on a small pile of rocks and rubble, leg shifting over the other with his cheek resting in his left palm. "please don't take too long, julius." which meant  _ don't play with your damn food _ . he rolls his eyes when the troublesome woman gave him a pissed off glare, she then chucking the tail to the side. if this dragged on for more than either of the halfling's liking, both will simply lose their temper. 

"don't you fucking look down on me! don't you know who you're dealing with?!" the woman shouts and it was by far easy to tell that the two of them poked at her temper. oh, oops. 

julius looks at her with a rather bored expression as his now shimmering long nails tap against his cheek with mock interest, "oh, don't let me stop you. i could really care less what a human is to me." his tail lashes behind him. with his tail coiling underneath him, he uses it to push himself up so he sits in midair. and yes, exactly using his tail as a cushioned chair. what a dramatic one he happens to be.

and of course, when doesn't it ever, julius' mouth sets off more anger points in the woman that she punches her finger onto a button that was on her red wristwatch. "you'll regret making a fool out of me, you fucking lizards! i'm kallen kōzuki, the ace of the black knights that killed your tyrant of a king!" and both halflings watch as her body was encased by reds and golds, forming an armor which had the scent of sakuradite. her weapon of choice had been pointedly the right arm where an enlarged golden claw flexed.

ah, she was the one called  _ guren _ .

julius then laughs quietly, mostly because he's pissed off and because he knew he'd lose against one of the fabled knights. it also doesn't help when lelouch stands from his own 'perch' with an alarmed look that julius does curse his own weakness to be so reckless. this wouldn't end well as it meant their capture. or. or it would end okayish and they'd have to be on the run again. it depends on what lelouch wants to do because that woman was running towards them with every intent to kill.

"the sceptre, julius. we've  _ unfortunately _ have no other choice." 

\---------

"suzaku. we have intel from the knight of guren. she seems to be in combat with two dragons." 

emerald eyes flicker up from his sword as he adjusts the white kimono and hakama, making sure the blue and gold haori overtop was at least presentable. "why did she engage combat without notifying me first?" his voice was rough as he felt a slight annoyance that one of the black knights chose to act on their own. they usually followed their leader 'zero', a man shrouded in mystery but loathed dragons all the same. 

"she reported it to be unexpected. her location is near the ruins of the imperial palace of kyoto." suzaku sighs as as he dismissed the messenger with a wave of his left hand. when he hears the leaving footfalls he only gets up from his place of prayer of his mother, who too was a dragon before she was murdered.

suzaku gave a tender expression to the photo of the woman with tanned complexion, long brown hair and forest colored eyes. she wore a delicate yet warm smile, holding a five year old suzaku in her arms. his father never figured out what she was until he turned six, murdering her out of a hatred frenzy in which suzaku had only hatred for that man. she died protecting him and it had been traumatic --

"he's dead now, okaa-san. i hope you won't mind that i'm…"  _ avenging our people by slaying the dragons that followed charles _ . suzaku doesn't hate all dragons since he was a halfling himself but only the ones from the royal family. unfortunately, the black knights didn't have an ounce of awareness to decipher this. so he did hope that kallen was fighting ones from the royal family and not just some innocents who made a living with humans.

he leaves the peaceful room with hurried steps as he feels his own armor thrum inside of his heart. it was an odd technology that zero had created: to have sakuradite connected to the heart, simply to activate their armors and weapon. suzaku finds it not only dangerous but unpredictable as well.

the kururugi shrine was far from where kyoto was, being at the base of mt. fuji. suzaku glances upwards to stare at the clouds that looked like small wisps of ghosts. he always found it kind of cute that they looked like small ghosts lazily moving about, always moving and never reaching their destination. much as his directionless life he had to figure out kallen's location in kyoto. 

"i should have asked where her exact location was. it's not like i can fly." even with his own armor his movement in the air was limited thanks to lloyd asplund taking way too long to proceed with upgrades. rakshata always made steady speed with guren and zero with the black knights. so, he was rather, angry. he'll voice it later. 

suzaku presses a button to initiate communications with kallen, making his way to his own transportation: a white and gold motorcycle with the kururugi symbol near the gas cap. "kallen, it's me, suzaku. where in kyoto are you?" he questions when he mounts his bike, grabbing his helmet that hung loosely from the handlebars.

"well, i was near the imperial palace ruins! now i was pushed back all the way to yawata!" kallen shouts, suzaku hearing the sound of something colliding and well, laughter. 

suzaku cursed as he knew the fastest way from mt. fuji to yawata was two hours, kicking the bikes engine to a start. at least being the knight of lancelot allowed him to have technology that made him be fast on land. "alright, kallen. can you hold on a little longer?" 

"i've got no choice, do i?"

suzaku laughs mirthly, "not exactly. sorry." 

\---------

"god damn it, suzaku." kallen hears the communicator shut off, back flipping away before julius could hit her with the enlarged sceptre in his claws. she lands on her feet with a wary look at the nearby town, needing to bring the fight away from the humans. and to see that sceptre meant these two were of the imperial family. which meant she can either kill them or contain. 

julius brandishes the long polearm version of the sceptre as his violet eyes glimmer. charles was a fool to give him such a powerful relic in hopes to keep him under puppet strings, ultimately leading to his own demise. "calling for help, hmmm… kind of ridiculous when you were the one instigating." his tail curls around lelouch's waist to tug him close. julius wasn't fond of him being too far away even if it meant being exposed by danger. 

"you were the ones entering territory that forbids you scummy dragons! you don't even have  **_proper license_ ** , do you!" kallen bites back as she checked the status of guren's claw. and kallen winced when she sees it was nearing towards 50 percent. not good, she has to end this fast or she'll end up dead in front of these no good imperial scum. 

_ and rakshata recently gave guren these upgrades! what's with this creepy bastard?! _

with labored breathing she decides to observe her surroundings, silently cursing her temperment. kallen had no issues with being directed by zero but he was elsewhere … damn, she really fucked up.

lelouch slowly blinks his amethyst eyes as he strokes julius' cheek as he stares at her, "we are royalty. we don't need license to enter anywhere." and julius purrs pleasantly at his answer. lelouch didn't have to see the hungry look in julius' eyes to know that he was close to losing his self control. 

kallen seemed to get infuriated at those choice of words, "excuse me?! are you saying you don't get to follow the rul --?!" she was cut off ever so rudely when julius knocked her down with his tail, and his irritating voice makes her head pound. kallen landed on her back, seeing stars temporarily. fuck. fuck! she needs to stop falling for his bait or she'll end up dead faster than suzaku can reach her. 

"that's  _ exactly _ what we are saying." lelouch says, holding onto julius when he landed on kallen's chest. the sound of armor trying to accommodate their weight follows afterward. julius smiles largely as kallen snarls, her own protective helm preventing her from spitting in his face. these two were getting on his nerves and she was pinned against the damned ground. 

they slain charles, so! so how come these two were giving her so much trouble?! she's fought against cornelia and clovis, not to mention that asshole schneizel! 

( _ but she forgets that she had her friends supporting her, and zero's commands to guide her. _ ) 

"you should take a nap, sorry my dear." julius only smirks as he pulls the visor up to stare down at those fierce blue eyes. he could see the shock flash briefly and she tries to struggle. julius laughs as his tail wraps around her body like a python and squeezes tightly. "careful. you wanna breathe, hm?" julius' right eye began to glow a dark blue, the stars starting to expand in their size and twinkle.

kallen gasps as she stares, trying to grab at his throat -- only for lelouch to grab her wrist. 

"let me go, you  **filthy** britannian lizards! i'll get you, i fucking swear--"

julius  _ tsked _ at her, his lips curling to a sneer. " **sleep** , kallen. sleep for perhaps a week. you look like you need rest." 

"wait, what are you trying to pull?!"

julius smiles as he watches kallen attempt to fight the order, her eyes fighting to keep open. he finds it cute that they try to fight his commands, really! being the actual stars in the galaxy made it impossible to resist as long as lelouch was near him. this is what made charles and his siblings so terrifying. 

" **finally** , she is asleep." lelouch sighs when kallen stopped struggling. her head had drifted to the side as she underwent the deep slumber, keeping hold on julius as he got off of her. of all her nerve to attack them first and truly disrespect them! did this kallen woman not believe there were consequences? 

julius placed his sceptre in a little pocket dimension where he kept his items, tail vanishing along with his claws. he sets lelouch on his feet with a hum. "well, lets go, lulu. she won't be causing us any more issues." he still wants his delicious meat and this damned woman had got in the way! his hand snakes over to grab one of lelouch's though his hearing can pick up the sound of a motorcycle not too far ahead.

"that's her help coming."

"let's go, then." 

"indeed." 

the two halflings both took a step back, vanishing within' the shadows of the ground. a thankful ability to have courtesy of lelouch himself. julius never tires of it.

and when suzaku pulls to the scene, his eyes widen as he spots kallen laying on the ground and for a split second his heart beats brutally against his chest.

fuck. fuck, fuck, fuck! was he too late?! suzaku scents the air as he pulls up next to her immobile body, not once smelling blood or a body starting to decay. well, her sakuradite didn't blow her to smithereens so she was obviously alive. suzaku gets off his bike in a hurry just so he can kneel beside her -- grabbing her wrist and began to check for pulses.

good, he found both in her neck and wrist that suzaku felt his shoulders sag. "jesus f-- you're not dead but… asleep?" the question came out baffled when recognizing her current status. did she overexert herself to end up like this or was she forced? either way, suzaku was here perhaps somewhat late since he didn't detect dragons nearby. but he froze because he did catch the  _ faintest _ whiff of it almost to the point his heart pounds. but there wasn't anyone else there. 

quickly he gathers up kallen's body (  _ but not before activating the sakuradite in her watch to retract the armor because there's no way in hell he'd carry extra weight _ ) and presses a button near the rear wheel. he waits impatiently as a sidecar begins to construct itself and you know? suzaku isn't going to question how lloyd managed this because he knew he wouldn't understand in the end. once it was settled he places kallen carefully inside, making sure she had her head resting against the headrest. 

suzaku  **definitely** wasn't going to ask lloyd why he made the seat as tall as the person, but anywho.

he  _ pauses _ for a split moment to scent the air again and of course there's nothing there but the aftermath of kallen's battle and two stale scents that kicked his brain on overdrive. "maybe i'm just hyped up or something. kallen's safety is priority, anyways." he mutters when he got back onto his bike, double checking that kallen was safely strapped. she's going to be hurting whenever she wakes up and he hopes she can forgive him for being so late.

suzaku bit his bottom lip, "it's not like i even asked her for forgiveness anyways." but that was for another time as he starts the engine back to life. he gave one more glance around him as if to make a mental note of something before returning the direction he came from.

\---------

"oh my, she's actually deep asleep!" euphemia exclaims as she observes kallen's unexplained state when lloyd and cécile informed her of suzaku's return. before anyone else can speak a word, the pink imperial princess (  _ or ex imperial princess _ ) places her left hand on kallen's forehead with a pout. "oh, this is completely abnormal! this is a forced sleep, nothing so natural!"

lloyd tapped the rims of his glasses with a hum, "is that so? so you're saying someone got past dear rakshaka's defenses of the guren armor to do just that?" well, color him pleased! this wasn't any normal foe kallen encountered and the data would help greatly. he picked up his pudding cup with his eyes lighting in glee. usually lancelot was an issue but not today! perhaps this will help with a float system for suzaku's armor.

"so, is there a way to wake her up?" suzaku asks as he enters the medical room, wearing his knight uniform due to being in a palace abandoned by the family. he blinks as euphemia ran over to him and smiled as she embraces him with a kiss on his lips.  _ oh, right _ he thinks with bright red cheeks. not only was he euphemia's knight, she was essentially his bride to be. 

"oh, i'm not sure, suzaku! i tried to get her to wake but my powers don't seem to be effective." euphemia looked crestfallen, relaxing slightly as suzaku soothingly rubbed the scales on her hands. her eyes rest on kallens sleeping form and she couldn't help but feel guilt for being incapable to help. as if he sensed her distress, suzaku gently held her hands with a gentle squeeze to that instant does she relax.

lloyd hums as he looks at the screen where kallen's vitals were, "you know? everything is fine besides one tiny area." he picks up his ballpoint pen to tap along the diagram where the cerebral cortex was. as euphemia, suzaku and cécile lean in to look closer he simply grins.

"her brain waves are inconsistent right now. or perhaps have been before suzaku found her. if we can find a way to break her out of this phenomenon, kallen surely would wake up!"

cécile leans back with a frown on her face, "but the issue is trying to find those dragons she fought. suzaku, didn't you say you caught some of their scent?" suzaku sighs as he looked to the side.

"it was brief -- and it was a scent that alarmed me. like.." suzaku let euphemia pull away to look at him, still holding his hands. he tries to wrack his brain for a good, proper explanation. "it felt like i was scenting something off. like, i couldn't go beyond the surface level. kind of like when our armor blocking our body from attacks." damn, that possibly wasn't the best explanation.

he relaxes when euphemia gently squeezed his hands to reassure him that he was fine.

lloyd leans back in his chair with a hum, examining his spoon. "it sounds like to me that you  _ nearly _ .  **_keyword being nearly_ ** , encountered something quite close to a paradox. dragons always have a distinct, solid scent but if we take our lore and history to account, there are dragons that go beyond that."

"w-wait, almost like a god?" euphemia asked with an alarmed expression that lloyd only burst out laughing. she huffs and then pouts, giving lloyd a glare when he does.

lloyd shook his head, "no, no. not a god or  _ the _ god. more like there might be a few encounters that shouldn't exist. have you watched the news lately? some humans on a train got slaughtered by a dragon." he informed with a wag of a finger.

suzaku glares at him, "and you thought to only bring it up now, lloyd?! what the hell!" he could've done something…. he…

cécile shook her head, sympathy on her face. "it was just aired when you arrived with kallen. the camera's couldn't get a clear image so those responsible came out to be an irritating blur." euphemia could only hug suzaku's arms since she felt no words could console him.

"interesting bunch, though." lloyd comments offhandedly.

suzaku raises a brow but euphemia was the one to ask what was on their minds.

"why? what makes you say that?"

lloyd grins as he presses a key on his keyboard, another file pulling up -- and once again they leaned in to observe. cécile was right in those involved being too blurred to notice, but their voices can somewhat be heard. "just listen." lloyd murmured as he turns up the volume so they can hear what the camera caught.

in fact when they all heard it, their blood ran cold.

_ "do you all want to play with us?" _


	3. danger games

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> apparently this chapter was already done. welp.

kallen had not woken up from her slumber in at least three days, lloyd having found this fascinating while cècile was becoming devastated. euphemia had been beside herself while suzaku was rather speechless since it was common knowledge active humans do not sleep for so long. there had been theories of a spell cast on kallen but it didn't help that being scientists left no room for fantasy.

it was even worse when they got a call from the man of mystery himself, the group wary when the giant LED screen showed the masked outlaw. the room was quiet except for the heart monitor connected to the guren knight so they wait for something to be said.

_ "so, kallen has been put into a disadvantage is what i can gather."  _

not a question but a statement in which they all numbly nod. it was a wonder how the masked man figured it out when they were trying so hard (  _ with no success _ ) to wake her. but this was zero and zero found ways to know, and zero always managed to find out eventually. 

it left an  _ uneasy feeling _ in suzaku's stomach for so many reasons. not to mention it leaves his mouth dry, wanting to keep euphemia close as if to protect her. 

euphemia speaks and she seems so crestfallen when she does, "i tried my best, zero. no matter what i did, i couldn't break her out of the hypnotism." her perfect hands nervously messed with some of her cotton candy colored dress that she presses against suzaku, who in turn wrapped a soothing arm around her. it broke his heart to see her so down, so he had to try to soothe as much as he can. 

zero hums as he tapped the side of his mask,  _ "well then. this is simply outrageous. pay attention now because i'll need your cooperation for my next plan that involves europe." _ this caught the scientists attention mostly because of _ how far _ it was from japan. 13 hours of travel? did zero expect them to just magically poof there? surely he had been jesting.

but zero does not jest because he's a man of his word and he does not beat around the bush.  _ "start preparing in 48 hours. europe will be the destination for the next course of the plan. euphemia will be proposing her ideas to repel her dastardly father." _ he continues and euphemia smiles brightly. she seemed so pleased that zero decided to keep his word on her making a unified group - special administration zone, or SAZ - to ease humans and dragons alike. 

" _ of course _ , thank you for this opportunity." euphemia excitedly says as she bows, the screen shutting off afterwards. her heart was beating so hard that she turns to suzaku with a bright smile on her face. "oh my gosh, suzaku, i'm so happy! zero is actually considering my plan!" her squeal of happiness was so infectious made suzaku hug her tightly. lloyd rolled his eyes while cècile giggles at the sight of young love.

suzaku and euphemia were truly a picture perfect couple, capturing young love in it's essence.

and suzaku believes he can't have it any other way.

but unfortunately, his life is busy along with his future bride and his employers. as cècile and lloyd fuss over kallen's condition, euphemia went to meetings that involved the SAZ and suzaku was left to his own devices. with everyone so preoccupied he decided to go back where he found kallen which was near the ruins of the imperial castle.

and he stares at the leftover ruins as if he could find something, anything but shoulders sag. not that suzaku really cares for kallen since they truly butted heads and had their own views for survival; but they were comrades in arms and how kallen ended up will prove fatal to the rest of the black knights.

to him and euphemia. euphemia can somewhat fight but she was no warrior. she was frail due to her siblings protective nature of her so they'd shelter her from anything confrontational. suzaku just wants her to never experience hardships and shedding of blood on her hands. suzaku just couldn't stand the sight of her in the sea of red with a calm expression on her peaceful face. 

"this doesn't make any sense. only some kind of god can do that to kallen." he utters quietly as he approaches some of the walls that had been shifted during this unseen battle. a small curse in japanese when he runs fingers across the imperial gates, the iron felt like it'd burn his skin. green eyes could see sparkling shimmer of stars that illuminates in mixtures of purples and whites. suzaku can't help but stare as he was entranced, lifting up his hand to see the stardust fall.

"...  _ stars _ . doesn't look manmade in those glitter stores."  **no** , this was genuine. being half dragon allowed him to have heightened senses and gods there was a chill down his spine. his ears picked up footfalls so he turns to see two males passing by. they were… actually beautiful with dark black hair and shades of purple for eyes. scales on their skin…

"do you two need help?" his voice was cautious as they paused to look at him, consider him. suzaku was also entranced by the sun and moon in their eye and the fact they looked  _ so _ identical. twins?

the one with the eyepatch snorted, "not twins. i hate that suggestion. doesn't anyone have anything else creative than that offending word?" he says rather cruelly and the one next to him just gave him a lazy expression. 

" _ offensive _ ?" suzaku repeats as he feels so uneasy when they stare at him with  **_calculating_ ** eyes. they were holding hands with their tails curled around another like their own makeshift dna tower. he remains still as they surround him with one leering and the other observing. gods he suddenly feels like a specimen. a damned specimen underneath a telescope, making his body crawl uneasily.

the two briefly look at him and then another, both lifting a shoulder in a shrug. they seemed rather bored as feeding had been done, so they just want to have some fun. so whoever this was… as plain as he may have looked there could be potential for a fun game. an unspoken conversation passed between them and a grin forms on their lips.

suzaku felt a chill go down his spine and the color drains from his face. for an instant he wished he brought one of his swords since lancelot was under upgrades. they watched as he takes a step back though his stoic expression never wavers. he can do this as he done with other nutjobs before.

"what's wrong, hm? you don't wanna spend time with us?"

"or play with us? we wanna lose some weight from eating so much earlier…"

_ okay _ , that definitely was creepy that suzaku couldn't ignore the churning in his gut. it doesn't matter if these two looked beautiful since their personalities were obviously so very bad. gross, even. almost like he was dealing with two psychopaths. he hardens his stare to steel that he digs nails into his palms. 

"fine, i'll  _ play _ . what are we going to play? a game?" suzaku knows that he regrets asking once one of them perks up with a sneer showing sharp teeth. aaaand that sinking feeling can't seem to get even worse as the man with the eyepatch bounces forward with a too much of a gleeful look.

aaaand… suzaku takes another step back and oh gods that's a mistake because an angry look forms on that man's face --

" **_where do you think you're going_ ** ? you said you'd play.  **with us** ." his voice was borderlining on childish and his companion gives a very tired look, shooting suzaku an irritated expression afterwards. the sound of a tail thumping angrily against the ground makes suzaku inhale deeply through his mouth because he knows this was going to end up as a tantrum --

\-- and that irritated expression isn't leaving  _ his _ face soon, suzaku knows that he's royally fucked and these two would definitely kill euphemia if they  _ found _ her. that fear causes his brain to kick into overdrive so he knows he has to oblige somehow.

" _ fine _ ," he stands still once more as his heart thunders (  _ and he wants to break that bastard's neck for the sneer that replaces his angry face _ ), "what's the game?" the words felt like lead when they tumble out of his mouth. steadfast even when the sneering one steps closer, pressing into him that suzaku can't help but release a warning growl that rumbled in his chest. then, then! the bastard has the nerve to laugh at him in his face despite all odds and he doesn't react because that's what  _ they _ wanted.

julius just laughs at the display of defiance and he runs fingers down that toned chest, "i am julius, and the game is…" he allows his voice to become low as if about to whisper a secret to his new victim. lelouch only rolls his eyes except he doesn't at all pity suzaku. he just happened to be in their way in the wrong place at the wrong time. 

" _ hide and seek _ ."

the expression on suzaku's face was delicious and julius wants to keep it forever. he digs sharp nails into rough skin, scales shimmering under the sun that suzaku nearly winces when the light hits his eyes.  _ nearly _ . that face held disgust and fear, making julius oh so giddy when he steps back to stand by lelouch.

lelouch gave them both a tired expression with a whimsical sigh escaping his lips, "alright. hide and seek is the game. your name?" he glowers at suzaku as julius vibrates next to him, excitement obvious. 

" _ lancelot _ ." no need to tell them his real name, if they were smart they'd know the implications. and it seems that they do because. julius was clapping his hands with glee while lelouch was narrowing amethyst eyes. 

"wonderful! another of the infamous black knights! lelouch, i am excited!"

"i can tell, julius. alright, lancelot. are you ready?"

suzaku blinks. 

"wait, i'm --"

"of course you are, you have to hide, afterall." julius grins as he steps forward, hands behind his back with a coy smile. but suzaku wasn't one to run or hide, stepping forward to meet the damned man face to face.

"and if i refuse?"

he watches as those violets thin into perfect diamond slits, grinning as he brings up any sort of resistance. it makes him want to lash out and wring that neck, but there's a fear in the back of his mind. those once violet eyes reminded him of euphemia. the clothing julius wore was almost akin to the imperial royal guards. 

" _ cute _ . you think you can  **refuse me** ,  **_lancelot_ ** ." julius purrs and suzaku felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand in alert. yep, this proves it. these two were very bad news and he had to do something. no one would fault him for killing threats, right? 

"but i do,  **absolutely** \--"

" **_well then_ ** , lets play, lancelot." 

that word causes suzaku's heart to plummet to his stomach, watching as opal scales blend with the thistle and orchid colored ones already on pale flesh. lelouch sighs as he steps away from the transforming man, choosing to perch himself upon his own tail. 

"julius, please don't take long." which was more of a 'don't play with your food' and julius smirks. despite them being half dragons they could somewhat transform, raw power and speed could be gifted to them. the moon was quite the wildcard as opposed to the shifting stars. 

his long tail whips behind him as he skips forward as the long diamond spiked tail slams into suzaku. those green eyes widened in surprise as the force causes him to slam against some debris. julius grins widely while leaning forward, low growls mixed with purrs resonating in his throat. 

"i'm not so weak, hm? get up, or this will be too boring. at least the guren woman proved to be a  _ little more _ entertaining." 

suzaku's pupils thin as he hears that, and well. he gets onto his feet, lips curled back to reveal his sharp fangs. so these two were the reason that kallen wouldn't wake up and -- and he just needed to get them to wake her up. so he spits out the blood from his mouth as his own clear yet emerald scales emerge on his arms. 

revenge. he wants to gain revenge. as he stares at the two with angry green that his movements were faster, pinning julius roughly to the concrete. 

"you bastards hurt that woman? i'm going to drag you by the throat so you can wake her up." he snarls as his claws slammed into julius' gut. suzaku had a satisfied sneer on his mouth when he felt the liquid of blood bubbling from the wound and onto his hand. 

but why wasn't the other one not bothering to help? why was julius laughing underneath him as blood drips down his chin? why was there sudden dread --

"you stupid, pathetic idiot. you've really pissed me off." his tail wraps around suzaku's waist, despite the pain in his gut.

\------

"euphemia, the SAZ will surely be a great improvement of relations. you can go to france to see if the dragons there will be willing." 

"thank you, brother schneizel! i hope to make you proud!"

euphemia stands from her seat as she takes her presentation folder from the smooth table. she nods to kanon who gave her a gentle smile, and she bows her head to her brother. both were children of the infamous charles and schneizel had been the one to control areas of japan since his death. she believes her older brother to be kind, to be actually worried about the state of affairs.

"if zero is actually willing to comply with these agreements, i don't see why not. peace should be a worthy option, don't you agree?" he smiles gently at his sister as he too gets up from his seat, nodding to kanon. his handy knight gestures for the others to leave -- that being ohgi, rakshata, xiangke and nunnally.

"i'm a little weary that zero is holding this over our heads, but i can't say much on this." ohgi rubs his temples, having a headache. he had to press euphemia for answers but it was either her naivete or she was stubborn to give any. either way, he got nothing. 

rakshata hums, "how odd that someone who killed charles is proposing to work on SAZ. is he really on the side of unification or is this a rouse?"

"i do hope it's nothing like that. so much blood has been shed just to kill...father." nunnally looked at her hands with a frown. she's concerned but also somewhat heartbroken. not because of their dead father but the loss of her older brother. it has been years since charles tossed her brother into exile and….

schneizel places a gentle hand on her shoulder, she glances up at his comforting gesture. euphemia does the same and hugs her gently.

"it'll be okay, nunnally. i'm sure we'll find him. he'd want to have you live in a peaceful world."

euphemia nods, "i agree. we'll find him, nunna.. lulu is sure to be alive somewhere."


End file.
